The circus comes to Cambridge: Skip Gates arrested

[Pete C]

I generally agree with the last post of my worthy constituent Mr. Rollhead, who is entitled, in this great country of ours, to express his voluminous opinions in the most grating manner

[Chris D]

... giving him my best Eddie Haskell (which is my mode when dealing with police no matter what).

Me too.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

The real issue here isn't racial profiling it is unlawful abuse of individuals and their civil rights by the cops.

It has nothing to do with race, and all to do with human rights.

Not to my family...not for many a year.

[rollhead]

I won't post anything grating, just a bit of something that Mr. Frank Rich had in his Sunday morning piece, which I agreed with:

The president’s subsequent apology for his news-conference answer was superfluous. But he might have used it to acknowledge the one exemplary player in Cambridge, Lucia Whalen, the white passer-by whose good deed of a 911 phone call did not go unpunished. In his police report, Sgt. James Crowley portrayed Whalen as a racial profiler by saying she had told him that the two men at Gates’s door were black. She denied it, and the audio tape of her original call backs her up: she had told the dispatcher (only when asked) that one of the men “looked kind of Hispanic” and that she couldn’t see the other. Yet Whalen, who was pilloried as a racist because of Crowley’s report, received no apology from him and no White House invitation from Obama. That’s stupid behavior by both men.

If anyone finds it grating that Rich called Crowley "stupid," I want you to know that it was not owing to anything I said to Frank Rich. However, I enthusiastically agree with Rich that Crowley is stupid.

[rollhead]

Nice piece by Bob Herbert, too:

August 1, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Anger Has Its Place

By BOB HERBERT
Cambridge, Mass.

No more than five or six minutes elapsed from the time the police were alerted to the possibility of a break-in at a home in a quiet residential neighborhood and the awful clamping of handcuffs on the wrists of the distinguished Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.

If Professor Gates ranted and raved at the cop who entered his home uninvited with a badge, a gun and an attitude, he didn’t rant and rave for long. The 911 call came in at about 12:45 on the afternoon of July 16 and, as The Times has reported, Mr. Gates was arrested, cuffed and about to be led off to jail by 12:51.

The charge: angry while black.

The president of the United States has suggested that we use this flare-up as a “teachable moment,” but so far exactly the wrong lessons are being drawn from it — especially for black people. The message that has gone out to the public is that powerful African-American leaders like Mr. Gates and President Obama will be very publicly slapped down for speaking up and speaking out about police misbehavior, and that the proper response if you think you are being unfairly targeted by the police because of your race is to chill.

I have nothing but contempt for that message.

Mr. Gates is a friend, and I was selected some months ago to receive an award from an institute that he runs at Harvard. I made no attempt to speak to him while researching this column.

The very first lesson that should be drawn from the encounter between Mr. Gates and the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley, is that Professor Gates did absolutely nothing wrong. He did not swear at the officer or threaten him. He was never a danger to anyone. At worst, if you believe the police report, he yelled at Sergeant Crowley. He demanded to know if he was being treated the way he was being treated because he was black.

You can yell at a cop in America. This is not Iran. And if some people don’t like what you’re saying, too bad. You can even be wrong in what you are saying. There is no law against that. It is not an offense for which you are supposed to be arrested.

That’s a lesson that should have emerged clearly from this contretemps.

It was the police officer, Sergeant Crowley, who did something wrong in this instance. He arrested a man who had already demonstrated to the officer’s satisfaction that he was in his own home and had been minding his own business, bothering no one. Sergeant Crowley arrested Professor Gates and had him paraded off to jail for no good reason, and that brings us to the most important lesson to be drawn from this case. Black people are constantly being stopped, searched, harassed, publicly humiliated, assaulted, arrested and sometimes killed by police officers in this country for no good reason.

New York City cops make upwards of a half-million stops of private citizens each year, questioning and frequently frisking these men, women and children. The overwhelming majority of those stopped are black or Latino, and the overwhelming majority are innocent of any wrongdoing. A true “teachable moment” would focus a spotlight on such outrages and the urgent need to stop them.

But this country is not interested in that.

I wrote a number of columns about the arrests of more than 30 black and Hispanic youngsters — male and female — who were doing nothing more than walking peacefully down a quiet street in Brooklyn in broad daylight in the spring of 2007. The kids had to hire lawyers and fight the case for nearly two frustrating years before the charges were dropped and a settlement for their outlandish arrests worked out.

Black people need to roar out their anger at such treatment, lift up their voices and demand change. Anyone counseling a less militant approach is counseling self-defeat. As of mid-2008, there were 4,777 black men imprisoned in America for every 100,000 black men in the population. By comparison, there were only 727 white male inmates per 100,000 white men.

While whites use illegal drugs at substantially higher percentages than blacks, black men are sent to prison on drug charges at 13 times the rate of white men.

Most whites do not want to hear about racial problems, and President Obama would rather walk through fire than spend his time dealing with them. We’re never going to have a serious national conversation about race. So that leaves it up to ordinary black Americans to rant and to rave, to demonstrate and to lobby, to march and confront and to sue and generally do whatever is necessary to stop a continuing and deeply racist criminal justice outrage.

[GoodSpeak]

The 911 caller ID'ed the men at Gates' door as Hispanic-looking.

Um.


That isn't racial profiling?




I think Dennis is spot on here.

[Gentle Giant]

C'mon, GG.

Don't go on account of a poster who is obviously the One Who Shall Remained Banned or some such poseur.

[Nice post BTW...and I agree]


It will be the same on another BBS, too. So stick around.




Please?

I'm not leaving on account of anyone. I'm just not having much fun here anymore. Most of the people I enjoyed chatting and sharing with are either gone (voluntarily or not) or post very infrequently. Certainly there are people here I still enjoy dishing with but they tend to talk music more than politics or current events, and that suits me fine. I'll probably still lurk a little just to see what people are listening to and keep current on who's died, but I've been here 10 years now, since right before my mother died, and I'm almost at 10,000 posts and it just seems like a good time to take a hiatus.

[Gentle Giant]

And from what I can tell, GG thinks we should all be bending over backwards when a cop gives an order. A few years ago Abner Louima did just that, and look what it got him. GG was probably nodding in approval upon reading about that case, since the cop really showed a criminal who was boss.

Congratulations, you've qualified to be called a fucking idiot. And a liar.

Let is be known and shown in the record that I was respectfully putting forth my opinion on the matter over a number of posts until Jeff, Paul, and BG started making heinous assumptions and inaccurate accusations about my beliefs and attitudes. Even Pete hasn't been quite as big an asshole as they have. So fuck you all.

[GoodSpeak]

I'm not leaving on account of anyone. I'm just not having much fun here anymore. Most of the people I enjoyed chatting and sharing with are either done (voluntarily or not) or post very infrequently. Certainly there are people here I still enjoy dishing with but they tend to talk music more than politics or current events, and that suits me fine. I'll probably still lurk a little just to see what people are listening to and keep current on who's died, but I've been here 10 years now, since right before my mother died, and I'm almost at 10,000 posts and it just seems like a good time to take a hiatus.

Well, I respect your decision though I will miss reading your posts, Jason.

I've been here since the beginning, too...and on Jazz Central Station before that. Lot of changes, you're right, and not always for the good. But I stick around to stay in touch with the folks I have become friends with [either in person, via e-mail exchanges or our conversations here] and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. Besides, I love to write and discuss; occupational hazard, I guess.

The jerks, trolls and belligerents will come and go, but I have always seen you as one of the good guys. I sincerely hope that you will come back after a brief time away...it has been a pleasure reading your stuff and, I'd like to think, made something of a cyber friend in the process.



We'll keep a light burning.

[me wag]

[GoodSpeak]

A romantic comedy?

[Pete C]

Even Pete hasn't been quite as big an asshole as they have.

Hard to believe.

[Pete C]

The jerks, trolls and belligerents will come and go

Not all of them.

[GoodSpeak]

Not all of them.

Well...you're still here too, huh.



Those who live in glass houses, Pete.....

[Brandy Glass]

Congratulations, you've qualified to be called a fucking idiot. And a liar.

Let is be known and shown in the record that I was respectfully putting forth my opinion on the matter over a number of posts until Jeff, Paul, and BG started making heinous assumptions and inaccurate accusations about my beliefs and attitudes. Even Pete hasn't been quite as big an asshole as they have. So fuck you all.

Think about what gives you the right to say that to other people here but not the right to say it to a police officer in your own home. Can you tell me?

[Gentle Giant]

Think about what gives you the right to say that to other people here but not the right to say it to a police officer in your own home. Can you tell me?

a) You have no authority over me.
b) I'm not being investigated by anyone here.
c) You're a fucking idiot.

[Pete C]

a) You have no authority over me.
b) I'm not being investigated by anyone here.
c) You're a fucking idiot.

This thread alone could put you over the top.

[Gentle Giant]

This thread alone could put you over the top.

Or over the edge.

Hey, it's the most popular thread I've ever started I think. At least I'll go out with a bang.

Er...

[Gentle Giant]

Police reaching out to stem a drop-off in young recruits
By Meghan E. Irons, Globe Staff | August 3, 2009

CAMBRIDGE - The blood on the mannequin’s chest was fake and so was the pink money on the table. The drugs lying next to it weren’t real, either.

But this artificial crime scene required a real CSI effort.

The sleuths called to the task were high school students, armed with sketch pads, black gloves, and police tape.

As they launched their investigation, looking for fingerprints, picking up fibers, and noting the evidence with yellow triangular markers, the group of 14- to 18-year-olds was embarking on an experiment at the Cambridge Police Department designed to break down walls between youths and police and also build an early interest in policing as a career.

“It’s pretty cool,’’ said Michaela Peterson, a 15-year-old from North Cambridge who, like the other teens, is getting paid $8 an hour for the six-week summer program. “It’s sort of like a game.’’

But Peterson, like many of her fellow investigators, has little interest in turning this game into a career, an obstacle that many police departments across the state have been facing in their quest for future officers.

Today’s youth, and even many adults, aren’t thrilled by officers’ relatively low pay, long hours, and dangerous line of work. And they don’t see policing as a long-term career.

“It’s unbelievable the difficulties that we’ve seen,’’ said Terrence M. Cunningham, the president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. “Over the last eight to 10 years, it’s been difficult to get real strong, quality candidates.’’

While hiring has become a moot issue for many communities because of the recession, municipalities were having a hard time filling officers’ ranks even before dwindling revenues forced many to freeze salaries.

About 2,100 fewer people took the police civil service exam this year compared with two years ago: The number is down from 13,188 in 2007 to 11,093 this year.

Few had the qualifications - a college degree as well as clean criminal and driving records, for instance - that departments desire, said Cunningham, who is also Wellesley’s police chief.

So police departments have stepped up recruiting efforts to find qualified candidates and are offering new incentives, such as paying for moving expenses.

But it has been a challenge.

“If you’re looking for someone to come with a bachelor’s degree and work for $40,000 a year, it’s not going to happen,’’ Cunningham said, referring to what he said is the average salary statewide for police officers. “The interest [in the job] is really starting to wane.’’

For instance, he said, only one Wellesley resident who took the civil service test last year said he wanted to join the force. Brookline also saw a sharp decline. More than 60 residents took the test several years ago, but only seven took the last exam, said Brookline Police Chief Daniel C. O’Leary.

Jack McDevitt, associate dean at Northeastern University’s college of criminal justice, said departments already dealing with budget woes are also confronting new challenges in recruiting and retention. Recruits aren’t rushing to join the force and they don’t want to stay long.

“This doesn’t seem like a well-paid career to people who want to go into business, law, or even government service,’’ he said.

Boston has also seen a fading interest in policing, said Sergeant Michael O’Connor, who coordinates the department’s Junior Police Academy, for children ages 8 to 12, and its Explorers Program, geared to high school-age youths.

While more youths participated the Explorers Program this year than in previous years, more youths are also dropping out of the program. Last fall, only 28 of 54 youths ages 14 to 18 who signed up finished the six-month Explorers Program. The year before, he said, only 17 graduated.

O’Connor faulted a lack of commitment and discipline on the part of some teens. “Every kid is different,’’ he said. “Some had preconceived ideas about what to expect.’’

Holly Brenier, a neighborhood coordinator for the Cambridge police, said she conceived the youth academy to reach teens early to generate interest in policing. But even she concedes it’s a tough sell. “It’s just not something people are interested in anymore,’’ she said.

Youth policing programs are critical in helping to counter negative perceptions teens may have about the force, said Kurt Schwartz, the state’s undersecretary for law enforcement and fire services.

“This is a way to start building that relationship,’’ said Schwartz.

At Cambridge police headquarters recently, reporters were flocking to one room where officials were fielding questions about the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.

In another room, more than a dozen teens were waiting for their work to begin.

The teens have spent the past four weeks being put through the wringer. They built muscles in physical fitness routines, built critical thinking skills as they learned how to work a crime scene, and built an understanding and appreciation of how officers do their jobs.

For some, the message hit home.

“Some of the officers here really inspired me,’’ said Patrick Sweeney, 15, of North Cambridge, who now wants to be a police officer. “Coming into the camp . . . I thought that officers are grouchy. But now I know they are different - they are nicer.’’

But Abé Shuhag, another 15-year-old, is not swayed. When he was younger he thought about being a cop. But no more.

“It goes away - like being a cowboy, astronaut, and all that stuff,’’ he said, pausing. “Maybe. I don’t know . . . ’cause I’m not trying to get shot.’’

[rollhead]

Well said Rollhead. Of course, none of this matters, since Goody thinks Gates had "a chip on his shoulder" (see post 169), and thus deserved to be arrested. And from what I can tell, GG thinks we should all be bending over backwards when a cop gives an order. A few years ago Abner Louima did just that, and look what it got him. GG was probably nodding in approval upon reading about that case, since the cop really showed a criminal who was boss.

Well, Paul, I would have to agree with GG that you could possibily be a "liar" as far as this is concerned.

Certainly, GG doesn't think that we should all be "bending over backward" when a cop gives us an order. Instead, he thinks we should be "bending over forward and spreading them" when a cop gives an order, just as Abner Louima did.

However, I choose to believe that you just made an honest mistake -- relative to direction -- in this instance.

Carry on!

[Pete C]

Or over the edge.

Hey, it's the most popular thread I've ever started I think. At least I'll go out with a bang.

Er...

My money's on Wednesday or Thursday.

[Brandy Glass]

a) You have no authority over me.
b) I'm not being investigated by anyone here.
c) You're a fucking idiot.

You dont have the intelligence to answer my question honestly so you call me names! I had no idea police had authority over you in your own home when you done nothing illegal! I guess you should already go if this is the best you can say to us.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Gates jokes that he'll get the cop's kids into Harvard if he promises not to arrest him any more.

OTOH, Harvard is seriously suggesting he move out of that house (which is not his main family residence, evidently) because of threats to him.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/03/mas...tes/index.html

[RainyDay]

Police reaching out to stem a drop-off in young recruits
By Meghan E. Irons, Globe Staff | August 3, 2009

CAMBRIDGE - The blood on the mannequin’s chest was fake and so was the pink money on the table. The drugs lying next to it weren’t real, either.

But this artificial crime scene required a real CSI effort.

The sleuths called to the task were high school students, armed with sketch pads, black gloves, and police tape.

As they launched their investigation, looking for fingerprints, picking up fibers, and noting the evidence with yellow triangular markers, the group of 14- to 18-year-olds was embarking on an experiment at the Cambridge Police Department designed to break down walls between youths and police and also build an early interest in policing as a career.

“It’s pretty cool,’’ said Michaela Peterson, a 15-year-old from North Cambridge who, like the other teens, is getting paid $8 an hour for the six-week summer program. “It’s sort of like a game.’’

But Peterson, like many of her fellow investigators, has little interest in turning this game into a career, an obstacle that many police departments across the state have been facing in their quest for future officers.

Today’s youth, and even many adults, aren’t thrilled by officers’ relatively low pay, long hours, and dangerous line of work. And they don’t see policing as a long-term career.

“It’s unbelievable the difficulties that we’ve seen,’’ said Terrence M. Cunningham, the president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. “Over the last eight to 10 years, it’s been difficult to get real strong, quality candidates.’’

While hiring has become a moot issue for many communities because of the recession, municipalities were having a hard time filling officers’ ranks even before dwindling revenues forced many to freeze salaries.

About 2,100 fewer people took the police civil service exam this year compared with two years ago: The number is down from 13,188 in 2007 to 11,093 this year.

Few had the qualifications - a college degree as well as clean criminal and driving records, for instance - that departments desire, said Cunningham, who is also Wellesley’s police chief.

So police departments have stepped up recruiting efforts to find qualified candidates and are offering new incentives, such as paying for moving expenses.

But it has been a challenge.

“If you’re looking for someone to come with a bachelor’s degree and work for $40,000 a year, it’s not going to happen,’’ Cunningham said, referring to what he said is the average salary statewide for police officers. “The interest [in the job] is really starting to wane.’’

For instance, he said, only one Wellesley resident who took the civil service test last year said he wanted to join the force. Brookline also saw a sharp decline. More than 60 residents took the test several years ago, but only seven took the last exam, said Brookline Police Chief Daniel C. O’Leary.

Jack McDevitt, associate dean at Northeastern University’s college of criminal justice, said departments already dealing with budget woes are also confronting new challenges in recruiting and retention. Recruits aren’t rushing to join the force and they don’t want to stay long.

“This doesn’t seem like a well-paid career to people who want to go into business, law, or even government service,’’ he said.

Boston has also seen a fading interest in policing, said Sergeant Michael O’Connor, who coordinates the department’s Junior Police Academy, for children ages 8 to 12, and its Explorers Program, geared to high school-age youths.

While more youths participated the Explorers Program this year than in previous years, more youths are also dropping out of the program. Last fall, only 28 of 54 youths ages 14 to 18 who signed up finished the six-month Explorers Program. The year before, he said, only 17 graduated.

O’Connor faulted a lack of commitment and discipline on the part of some teens. “Every kid is different,’’ he said. “Some had preconceived ideas about what to expect.’’

Holly Brenier, a neighborhood coordinator for the Cambridge police, said she conceived the youth academy to reach teens early to generate interest in policing. But even she concedes it’s a tough sell. “It’s just not something people are interested in anymore,’’ she said.

Youth policing programs are critical in helping to counter negative perceptions teens may have about the force, said Kurt Schwartz, the state’s undersecretary for law enforcement and fire services.

“This is a way to start building that relationship,’’ said Schwartz.

At Cambridge police headquarters recently, reporters were flocking to one room where officials were fielding questions about the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.

In another room, more than a dozen teens were waiting for their work to begin.

The teens have spent the past four weeks being put through the wringer. They built muscles in physical fitness routines, built critical thinking skills as they learned how to work a crime scene, and built an understanding and appreciation of how officers do their jobs.

For some, the message hit home.

“Some of the officers here really inspired me,’’ said Patrick Sweeney, 15, of North Cambridge, who now wants to be a police officer. “Coming into the camp . . . I thought that officers are grouchy. But now I know they are different - they are nicer.’’

But Abé Shuhag, another 15-year-old, is not swayed. When he was younger he thought about being a cop. But no more.

“It goes away - like being a cowboy, astronaut, and all that stuff,’’ he said, pausing. “Maybe. I don’t know . . . ’cause I’m not trying to get shot.’’

I thought you were leaving?

I wrote a lovely piece last night that was disappeared with one false move on my blackberry. Oh, well.

I reread your initial posts about Gates and it still is not clear to me what is about him that offends you so much. You could not have been more vague.

I have been reading and hearing some lately in MSM (from white folks) about how some whites are having a hard time adjusting to the changing demographics, which Obama clearly represents (examples are the birthers and the shameful behavior of white Sentors during the Sotomayor hearings). Is that what this if for you? You have never had terribly enlightened attitudes about race as I recall and you loved sticking it to me when I posted regularly. Now a couple of folks don't agree with you and you are going to go crying to mommy, pick up your marbles and go home.

As for Rollhead, I'm sick of hearing you say that Gates-gate has nothing to do with race. Your experience with cops does not define the experiences of all people. I know that whites have bad experiences with cops. I also know that almost every black man I know has had such an experience. Most white men I know have not. It's about class, it's about cops being assholes, and it's also about race. Deal with it.

[Gentle Giant]

I have been reading and hearing some lately in MSM (from white folks) about how some whites are having a hard time adjusting to the changing demongraphics, which Obama clearly represents (examples are the birthers and the shameful behavior of white Sentors during the Sotomayor hearings). Is that what this if for you? You have never had terribly enlightened attitudes about race as I recall and you loved sticking it to me when I posted regularly. Now a couple of folks don't agree with you and you are going to go crying to mommy, pick up your marbles and go home.

I have never had terribly enlightened attitudes about race as you recall? You have an example? To give you the benefit of the doubt, let me suggest that perhaps you are confusing me with someone else. Because you apparently don't know anything about me. And I have never stuck anything to you. I'm not one who goes around attacking people. I enjoy honest, respectful discussion and debate. Believe me, I remember all the shit you used to get. But I wasn't the one shoveling it. So let's get that straight.

As I said before, which you conveniently ignored or forgot, I don't mind that people disagree with me; I mind when people make assumptions about me such as when Paul B wrote, "A few years ago Abner Louima did just that, and look what it got him. GG was probably nodding in approval upon reading about that case, since the cop really showed a criminal who was boss." I find that insulting and demeaning because it completely misrepresents my values and ethics. Not only that, but it doesn't advance the discussion.

And, for the record, my leaving has nothing to do with this thread. It has to do with my personal dissatisfaction with JC as a community, and I fervently hope my remaining posts aren't wasted trying to rebut the lies being put forth about me by you, Paul, Brandy, and others.

[rollhead]

As for Rollhead, I'm sick of hearing you say that Gates-gate has nothing to do with race. Your experience with cops does not define the experiences of all people. I know that whites have bad experiences with cops. I also know that almost every black man I know has had such an experience. Most white men I know have not. It's about class, it's about cops being assholes, and it's also about race. Deal with it.

Frankly, I don't care if you are "sick of hearing" me say things. I would say "deal with it," but I realize that is an impossibility;

you love wallowing in your self-aggrandizing, self-pity so much, and I would be the last person on earth to deprive you of that pathetic need.

And don't be so preposterous to assume you know anything about white men, as your hatred of white people is so all-encompassing and is so much a part of your identity, you are blinded to any kind of rational thought on the subject.

You could no more think a rational, compassionate thought about "most white men you know," that you could swallow a quart of arsenic and survive.

It is clear you think that only people of a certain color -- and not all mankind -- deserve the same kind of dignity. Which was my sole point in mentioning that this case offended all people, not just black people.

Respectfully submitted,

Rollhead
Grating Asshole
Honky,
Long-time, Card-carrying Member of the Ice People

[groover]

[rollhead]

My money's on Wednesday or Thursday.

Not sure his tears will be dry by then. He will be going wee-wee-wee all the way over to IHM. With any luck monitor/Führer Abbey will have a hanky ready for him.

[Brandy Glass]

Getle Giant typed - "I enjoy honest, respectful discussion and debate."


Which one is the example of this? The first time you called me a effing idiot? The second time you called me a effing? The time you called Paul B a effing idiot and a liar? Or the time you told everybody here to go eff themselfs?

[rollhead]

Getle Giant typed - "I enjoy honest, respectful discussion and debate."


Which one is the example of this? The first time you called me a effing idiot? The second time you called me a effing? The time you called Paul B a effing idiot and a liar? Or the time you told everybody here to go eff themselfs?

For the record, I am "grating" not "effing" -- but I am not sure if that's better or worse.